The Ruby Bracelet
by Sadistic Hufflepuff
Summary: Scorpius tells his granddaughter the story of his marriage. Written for The Weird Prompt Strikes Back!


Scorpius looked up as his young granddaughter entered the room. She was carrying something, but his weak eyes could not discern what it was. It was not until she stood before him that he realized it was the same thing he'd stared at every day for the last thirty years. It was his wife's ruby bracelet.

The blood-red stones had always been Rose's favorite. She proffered them over diamonds and the bracelet had been a fifth anniversary present from him. She wore it everyday. Rose had been gone for many years but the memories of her became fresh in Scorpius' mind everyday with just a simple glance at the bracelet.

"Grandpa was this Grandma's? " asked young Aquila.

"Yes," awnsered Scorpius.

"Will you tell me about her? " Those sweet, innocent eyes stared up at him.

Scorpius gave a nod and Aquila climbed into his lap. He looked at the bracelet, still in his granddaughter's hands, and thought back. There were so many stories he could tell. He couldn't settle on one, so he just started talking, sharing the story of Scorpius and Rose. It was a story that wouldn't have been possible in a different time.

"Your grandma and I met at twelve years old. It was our first ride to Hogwarts."

* * *

The conductor blew the warning whistle. Scorpius wasted no time in using it as a way to get away from his parents. They had begun to repair the Malfoy name, but he didn't want to give all the other children more to tease him about. The last thing he wanted was for people to think he still hung about his mother.

"I really need to get on the train now. Love you, Mum. Bye, Dad."

"Scorpius wait," his father stopped him.

"Don't let the family name limit you, or the lives of generations before you define you." He gave a lecture Scorpius was used to and could recite upon command.

"Yeah Dad, you got it," Scorpius said, trying once again to get on the train.

His mother started crying and his father drew her to him, making shewing motions at Scorpius. He didn't need to be told twice. Scorpius found one of the only empty compartments left on the train. He settled in, not expecting anyone to come in once they caught a glimpse of his shock of blonde hair.

However, he was wrong. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" he called, slightly in shock.

The door slid open to reveal a girl. She was obviously a first year as well. Scorpius' shock was intensified when he immediately placed her head of red hair. This girl was a Weasley. The Weasleys had hated the Malfloys for generations and vise-versa. She must have known who he was. How was she still standing there with a pleasant look on her face?

"Hi, I'm Rose Weasley," she introduced herself.

"Scorpius Malfoy."

"Oh, I know who you are and I know what everyone expects us to be."

"And will you tell me what that is? " he asked.

"That depends. Can I sit down? "

"Oh, please do," he said.

Rose seated herself and began her explanation.

" Well, let's start with you. Scorpius Malfoy: They think you'll be a Slytherin, the Potions Master will be afraid to teach you The Draught of Living Death, and people will assume you're part of some Death Eater come back.

"As for me? Rose Weasley: Daughter of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. As far as anyone is concerned I'm already a Griffindor. They expected to be as smart as my mother and to kill a dark wizard by the end of my seventh year. Did I leave anything out?"

"Yeah I think you did, " he said. "They think we'll hate each other. "

"We should prove them wrong," she said.

* * *

"We proved them wrong on all counts. I went to Ravenclaw and she to Slytherin. There was only one class that she never needed my help in. It was Defense Against the Dark Arts. I obviously didn't turn out like any Malfoy before me, and she didn't kill her first dark wizard until after Auror training. "

Aquila gasped, "Grandma was an Auror! "

"Yes, she went into training right after Hogwarts. "

Scorpius' son Leo walked into the room then, wiping tears from his eyes.

" I've been listening at the door, " he said. " You never talk about Mum."

"Well sit down, because I'm talking now."

Leo sat on the coffee table, right in front of his father, and grabbed his daughter's hand.

"Auror training lasts three years. At the end of her training we had been together for eight years. I figured it was about time we got married but first I had to ask her father for permission."

* * *

Scorpius had Rose's cousin Roxanne take her out for the day and headed over to her parent's house. Ron awnsered the door and seemed very surprised to find Scorpius standing there alone. He ushered Scorpius in anyways. Scorpius was led to the living room and asked to wait for a moment.

As he waited for Ron to return Scorpius looked around the pictures on the shelves. There were pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Hugo, but Scorpius zoned in on the ones of Rose, they ranged from her baby pictures to her Auror graduation. In one, she was playing Cinderella, in another playing in the sprinkler. There was one were she was dancing with her dad. Scorpius leaned in to get a better look at one when he heard a voice behind him.

"She's really something, isn't she?"

Scorpius turned around, "Yeah, she quite a woman. "

Ron just stared at him and Scorpius realized that in his eyes she would always be that little girl, playing Cinderella.

Ron called Rose and asked her to come over. Scorpius proposed to Rose in the garden of her parents' home. When they went back inside, Rose threw her arms around Ron and that's when Scorpius could see exactly what her father saw. She was the same girl as she was in all those pictures, just a bit older.

* * *

"I'm sure that's what you'll always be to your dad Aquila. "

"Most definitely, " said Leo.

"Well now, back to the story. We were engaged at twenty and were married at twenty-one. Leo would you go get the photo album?" Scorpius pointed at one of the many photo ablum Rose had made during her lifetime.

Leo walked across the room and pulled it off the shelf. He had to dust it off quite a bit as it had been years since Scorpius had been able to bring himself to look through the pictures. Leo placed the ablum in his father's lap and returned to his earlier seat on the coffee table.

Scorpius took a deep breath and prepared himself to open his wedding album. After steeling himself he lifted the cover and started flipping through the pages. He finally rested on a page about halfway through the album. A firey redhead in a snow white dress stared up at him. She had her arms wrapped around a much younger him his hair still blonde and his face still youthful.

"This is my favorite picture from our wedding, " he said.

Leo and Aquila both leaned in, one to get a look at the mother whom he'd lost to soon, the other to see the grandmother she'd never gotten to meet.

"I was a very nervous man on my wedding day."

* * *

Scorpius fixed his tie and turned to his best man, Albus Potter.

"How do I look? '

"I'm not a bridesmaid so I'm not going to awnser that question," replied Ablus, earning a nervous laugh from Scorpius.

"Seriously mate, don't worry. Trust me when I say Rose is not marrying you for your looks."

Despite those encouraging words from his best friend, Scorpius found himself bouncing from toe to toe as the bridesmaids and groomsmen came down the aisle. It wasn't until the bridal march started and the church doors opened, revealing Rose on the arm of her father, that Scorpius stilled. The room suddenly dissappeared and all his focus was on Rose as she glided down the aisle.

The future looked so bright in that moment. As Scorpius looked at the woman he was about to marry, a calm settled over him. This was the woman he was meant to marry.

* * *

Scorpius smiled, "Five years later, I gave her the bracelet for our anniversary. "

"It's very pretty, Grandpa," said Aquila.

"Your grandmother thought so, too," said Scorpius

"So sounds so great, " remarked Aquila.

"She was, " agreed her grandfather.

"I miss her, " said Leo.

"We both do. I was waiting for her to come home from work. "

* * *

Scorpius fiddled with the the jewelry box in his pocket. He waited for Rose to come home from work. It was their five year anniversary. He heard her key in the lock. He called at her name and as she walked into the room he pulled the box from his pocket.

"Happy anniversary. "

"Oh, Scorp! "

Rose opened the box and inside was a blood-red ruby bracelet. Scorpius took it out and put it on her wrist.

"What do you think? "

"It's perfect, " she gushed.

"Well I'm glad you like it."

"I'll never take it off again , " she assured him.

* * *

Scorpius took the bracelet into his hands then and let a single tear slide from his cheek.

"Two year later, your dad was born. Grandma nearly broke my hand that day,"

"Why did she try to break your hand?" Aquila asked.

"Because having a baby hurts." replied Scorpius.

"You were a baby, Daddy?" Aquilaasked with wide eyes.

"Yes I was and so was Grandpa. "

"But he's so old."

"Aquila! " her father started.

"No she's right, I am. But, Aquila, when your dad was born I was younger than he is now."

* * *

At twenty-eight Scorpius had a child much later than most in his family, but on one stormy November 10th he became a father. Rose woke him up in the middle of the night and imformed him that the baby was coming. He, of course, freaked out. He flew about the house in a frantic hurry, making a big production.

When they got to the hospital, Rose had a long and painful labor. Leo ws a bit big, and Rose squeezed Scorpius' hand so hard it turned purple. When they finally put little Leo in Rose's hands though, Scorpius found it was all worth it.

* * *

" Your Dad was a cute baby., "said Scorpius.

" I bet he was," said Aquila.

"That was a good day. When your dad was ten though, this family had a very bad day. That was the day your grandma was killed. She was at work and dueled a dark wizard. I still remember it like it was yesterday. "

* * *

Scorpius was working on an article whose ending refused to write itself when an owl tapped on his window. He opened the window and removed the parchment from the owl's leg. The seal set him off immediately. It was the Saint Mungo's seal. He broke he seal and unraveled the parchment, dreading what it might say.

 _Mr. Scorpius Malfoy,_

 _You are listed as the next of kin and emergency contact for one Mrs. Rose Malfoy. We regret to inform you that Mrs. Malfoy has been brought in from an Auror mission in critical condition and her survival is uncertain. Please come immediately._

 _MediWitch on duty,_

 _Amy McLaggin_

Scorpius called to his his owl and scrawled across the top of the letter,

 _Hermione, I just received this._

After that, he grabbed his cloak and flew from the office.

However, when he arrived at Saint Mungo's the heart monitor besides his wife's bed was no longer working. He asked everyone to leave the room and just held Rose's hand, crying softly, until the rest of the family arrive and he was eventually pulled away.

* * *

"And that was the day my world changed forever, " said Scorpius, his voice cracking as he began to sob.

"Thank you so much for telling us Dad," said Leo, silent tears rolling down his cheeks.

Aquila put her arms around her grandfather's neck. "It's ok Grandpa, she wouldn't want you to cry. "

"No, you're right," Scorpius put an arm around her, and clutched the bracelet.


End file.
